Tribute Dover Quartet Plays Mozart
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
TRIBUTE DOVER QUARTET PLAYS MOZART dover_quartet_album_art_booklet_final.indd 1 7/26/16 10:23 AM Several years ago, four gifted students who FOREWORD MOZART had just formed the Dover Quartet while at the Curtis Institute of Music played for me. FOR OUR DEBUT ALBUM, WE HAD At the time, I was sufficiently impressed by QUARTET IN B-FLAT MAJOR, their musicianship and their ensemble to think ALWAYS PLANNED TO PAY TRIBUTE TO K. 589 (23:18) to myself: If they work hard and long, if their 1 Allegro – 6:24 musical ideas continue to mesh, and if the group THE GUARNERI QUARTET — 2 Larghetto – 6:37 chemistry remains healthy and collegial, (a lot 3 Menuetto: Moderato – 6:23 of “ifs” there for any young quartet), the Dovers BY CAMDEN SHAW so we were particularly excited to learn that our debut would 4 Allegro assai – 3:45 could become one of the most brilliant and come exactly 50 years after the legendary ensemble’s first musically significant string quartets in chamber QUARTET IN F MAJOR, album. All four of us grew up listening to and falling in love with music. I’m delighted to report that it has come to K. 590 (24:14) the Guarneri’s recordings; there is a grittiness, an emotional pass, and this debut CD will give the listener a 5 Allegro moderato – 8:51 potency, and a constantly shifting balance between individuality confirmation of the Dover Quartet’s remarkable 6 Andante – 6:21 and blend that makes their playing transcendent. It’s no musical gifts and the impressive career they have 7 Menuetto: Allegretto – 4:03 overstatement to say that even before we met and studied with already embarked upon. On a personal note, I 8 Allegro – 4:50 members of the Guarneri, they had already shaped the way feel privileged to have been one of their coaches, we felt about chamber music: we all entered the Curtis Institute and touched that this CD pays tribute to the STRING QUINTET IN C MINOR, of Music believing that to play in a string quartet was among Guarneri String Quartet of which I was a proud K. 406/516B (25:20) the noblest and purest musical pursuits. member. The Dovers have recorded the same last 9 Allegro – 9:41 two Mozart string quartets, K. 589 and K. 590, 10 Andante – 4:25 Our relationship with the Guarneri Quartet deepened once that were on the Guarneri Quartet’s debut album Menuetto in Canone – 4:14 we began our studies at Curtis. Michael Tree was Milena’s private 11 some fifty years ago, and the final work on this Allegro – 6:50 teacher for five years, and I studied for five years with Peter 12 CD, Mozart’s Viola Quintet in C minor, K. 406, Wiley, a former student of David Soyer who later succeeded includes none other than Michael Tree, violist in TT: (73:10) him as the Guarneri’s cellist. Once our own quartet was born, the Guarneri Quartet, playing second viola. we frequently took coaching sessions with Peter, Michael, and —ARNOLD STEINHARDT Arnold Steinhardt, who also teaches at Curtis. Needless to say, 2 3 dover_quartet_album_art_booklet_final.indd 2-3 7/26/16 10:23 AM it was a privilege to see the names himself — seemed the best way to ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS on our favorite recordings slowly acknowledge just how much transform into our mentors and we admire the Guarneri Quartet, friends. We didn’t meet John and how sincerely we hope to carry We would also like to acknowledge the many musicians who Dalley until fairly recently — he on its legacy. had a profound influence on us who were not members of the is notoriously difficult to track Guarneri Quartet. Shmuel Ashkenasi, first violinist of the down — but Milena now owns After David Soyer’s death in 2010, Vermeer Quartet, was the coach who first encouraged us to a beautiful bow he made, and Curtis held a memorial service pursue a professional quartet career, and his system of musical his legendary sound has, for us, in his honor. Peter Wiley and all the principles still guides our interpretations to an immense degree. largely defined the role of the current cello students, myself among We also coached extensively with Pamela Frank — one of second violin in quartet playing. them, played Klengel’s Hymnus the most inspiring, passionate musicians we know — and with for twelve cellos, and many wonderful the recently departed Joseph Silverstein, whose recordings The Guarneri Quartet’s first things were said about David, his have become a part of almost every long drive we take together. album, released in 1966 on the teaching, and his influence in the (Ms. Frank taught both Joel and Bryan privately at Curtis, RCA Red Seal label, pairs Mozart’s world of music. But to end the service where Joel also studied with Silverstein.) After graduating from last two quartets, K. 589 and — and this is a moment we will never Curtis, we studied for two years at Rice University’s Shepherd K. 590. Both are famously beautiful forget — the whole congregation sat School of Music, where we coached with Norman Fischer, James and difficult pieces, and to debut in silence, transported, as we listened Dunham, and Ken Goldsmith. All three were integral to our a discography with them was to David’s heart-wrenchingly beautiful musical development, and they guided us through our most a bold move. The recording met playing in the slow movement of uncertain years. with much critical acclaim, Mozart’s Quartet K. 589, from the 1966 and is jaw-droppingly gorgeous. recording. The power of that moment We also want to thank Roberto Díaz, president of the Curtis Fifty years later, our decision was indescribable, and I know it Institute and another of Milena’s teachers, for his early and to record these same two quartets was on my mind as we recorded the steadfast support of the quartet, and for all the guidance and — along with the C-minor viola same movement on a cold, clear friendship he continues to provide. quintet, on which we are joined December day in 2015. by none other than Michael Tree THANK YOU TO ALL OF THESE AMAZING MUSICIANS! 4 5 dover_quartet_album_art_booklet_final.indd 4-5 7/26/16 10:23 AM PREFACE M O Z A R T ’ S PRUSSIAN QUARTETS (1789–90) IN THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS Mozart’s string quartets K. 589 and In spite of the failed business K. 590 are known, along with K. 575, relationship between Mozart WE INCLUDE SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT as the “Prussian” quartets, after and King Friedrich, the quartets Friedrich Wilhelm II, then King of having been written with the EACH WORK. Prussia, who commissioned them. King in mind was integral to their Mozart would most likely have design: because Friedrich was objected to this nickname, however, reputedly a fine amateur cellist, I would like to preface them by noting that we are neither for he was never paid for completing they feature the cello in a soloistic historians nor music theorists. Entire books could be written them, and instead was forced to have fashion not found in Mozart’s about the intricacies of these pieces and the events in Mozart’s them engraved at his own expense, previous quartets. In fact, these life surrounding their composition; of course, we cannot go selling them for what he termed, in pieces feature the cello more into that level of detail here. a frustrated letter, “a ridiculous sum prominently than anything else We’re also not fans of trying to describe in words the way of money.” In fact, the incomplete Mozart wrote, and he admitted the music sounds — that’s what the recording is for! What transaction with King Friedrich to finding their composition we have included is information, some historical and some contributed substantially to Mozart’s “laborious” — he was not familiar analytical, that had a direct and significant impact on our dire financial circumstances in with writing for the instrument interpretations. We hope this will give our listeners a window the last few years of his life, which in this capacity, and in some ways into our discussions and a sense of what was on our minds presumably complicated his this becomes clear to cellists who as we played. relationship with the pieces. 6 7 dover_quartet_album_art_booklet_final.indd 6-7 7/26/16 10:23 AM STRING QUARTET sense of nostalgia, even amidst the jollity of the final bars. perform the works. The cello parts and originality. Third, their N O. 22 IN in the Prussian Quartets are more significance was estimated The opening of the second than just difficult; they are often very presciently by Haydn in this B-FLAT MAJOR movement is marked sotto voce, unidiomatic for the instrument, in famous quote: meaning “like a whisper.” Mozart a way that the much flashier cello K. 589 rarely gave such instructions, “If Mozart had written nothing but his concertos of Haydn, for instance, are so this shows he was particularly violin quartets and the Requiem, they not. However, I interpret this not concerned with capturing the right alone would have been sufficient to as a failure to understand the cello The first point of interest in this tonal color here. Also, it indicates make him immortal.” on Mozart’s part, but instead as a quartet is subtle, but significant: that despite the soaring, vocal cello manifestation of this fact: Mozart’s the piece opens with a falling, line, the sound must be intimate writing is so pure, so perfect, and so decorated triad. Oddly enough, this and tender rather than extroverted: uncompromising in its conception, is very uncommon for Mozart.